Nonprofit on the Rocks

Join host, Matt Kamin, as he talks to OG badass do-gooder and lifetime advocate for the under-served, Mary Jane Wagle, co-founder of W.O.R.K.S. (Women Organizing Resources, Knowledge and Services) an organization that provides quality, affordable housing and services to the underprivileged.

Matt and Mary Jane discuss all things Founder-related, from how to stick through the hard times and when to throw in the towel. They take questions from listeners ranging from what to do when a founder won’t step away to how to make a succession plan for one who is leaving; what do when a founder is misappropriating funds, to recognizing when it’s time to pave the way for a BIPOC leader. And Matt reveals how he founded his first non-profit in an effort to find a boyfriend. (Spoiler alert: it worked.)

Matt and producer, Ashley Waterson, return from a long hiatus to discuss the upcoming new season of the show! New Season. New Format. Same Quality. Same Fun.

In this highly anticipated episode, Matt talks to his Envision Consulting co-founder and nonprofit expert, Allison Fuller. The pair discuss their long history with nonprofit and each other, relaying hilarious and poignant stories.

Listeners are also treated to an expert clinic on nonprofit management, discussing everything from: what DEI truly means, to do’s and don’ts of the interview process--including their favorite questions to ask candidates and the answers they want (and don’t want) to hear.

Matt talks to Omi Crawford, Director of Law Rocks, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote music education for underprivileged youth and raise funds for local nonprofit organizations by combining the power of music and the generosity of the global legal community.

The pair discuss the challenge of keeping an event-driven nonprofit afloat during the pandemic shutdown, whether or not celebrities are actually “silver bullets” of fundraising, the trials and travails of working parents – especially those running nonprofits, and how many lawyers are secret, undercover rock stars.

Matt talks to Edward Amey, CEO of Jay Nolan Community Services, an organization that supports children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The pair discuss the mutually beneficial value of hiring adults with disabilities; what it takes to be the CEO of a nonprofit; the importance of having a supportive life partner; and why it took Matt getting chewed out by a client with a disability to realize, “Hey! They really ARE just like us!”

Matt talks to Tamika Farr, CEO of Pathways LA, a nonprofit that supports the healthy development and school readiness of young children from disadvantaged communities.

The pair discuss the dual challenge of low-income families trying to afford childcare AND the inability for many childcare providers to make a living wage. They delve into the importance of negotiating a fair salary when starting a new job and the importance of fundraising when running a nonprofit. They remind listeners that childcare providers are not just babysitters, and that Guidestar can be used for more than just stalking other people’s salaries.

Matt talks to Erin Huber Rosen, founder and executive director of Drink Local, Drink Tap, a nonprofit based in Cleveland, Ohio dedicated to improving water equity through projects, programming and partnerships because they believe access to clean water is a human right.

The pair discuss what can be done on both a macro and micro scale to improve the sustainability of water and the environment. And Matt, once again, gets chastised for using single-use plastic and taking long showers (twice a day).

Matt talks to Bobbi Abram, CEO of the Pasadena City College Foundation.

The pair discuss everything from the college’s 30 million dollar grant from Mackenzie Scott to why Bobbi’s (and Ashley's) longtime home town, Kansas City, is located in two states. They debate the merits of getting a college degree at all, and they reveal how when they first met, Bobbi thought Matt had “an overabundance of chutzpah.” (She was not wrong!)

Matt talks to Jamie Zavala, Executive Director of ArtworxLA, whose mission is to combat the epidemic high school dropout crisis by engaging students in arts programs that inspire them to stay in school and flourish as creative adults.

The pair discuss the positive impact the arts can have on impressionable teens, the patience the interview process takes, and the importance of being your most authentic self. Matt also makes it his mission to find Jamie a suitable suitor!

Matt talks to Genevieve Riutort, the new CEO of the Westside Food Bank in Santa Monica, California, an organization whose mission is to end hunger in our communities by providing access to free nutritious food through food acquisition and distribution, and by engaging the community and advocating for a strong food assistance network.

With a global pandemic, inflation on the rise, and a scarcity of infant formula on the shelves, WSFB’s services have rarely been needed more than they are right now. Genevieve talks about the importance and impact of food banks, the best ways to help with food insecurity, and about her own journey from someone who needed food assistance herself, to now helping others. She also talks about her role as female CEO of color and how women should embrace their “*Inner Chad” (*TM Kim Peterson S2:E2) to get what they deserve.